A different perspective

It's funny how I used to look at this picture feel a little heavy for myself


and now....
even though I am enjoying being pregnant I look forward to looking like that again!:)

In Baby News...

• I will be 35 weeks tomorrow! The pictures above were taken tonight. I don't usually look at myself from the side. Seeing these pictures makes me feel like my belly really is sticking out a lot!:) (Even though people still tell me I look small...trust me, I don't feel small!)
• For a long time Ryan and I have narrowed names for our little guy down to 2 but all of a sudden I've come up with about 3 more that I really like! Ryan isn't a huge fan of any that I've added to the list.
  
• We've been getting the baby room ready, slowly but surely. Below you can see a dresser that Ryan turned into a dresser/changing table! It's a dresser my parents let us take. I didn't want to buy a changing table but knowing how much my back aches I thought it'd be nice to just put a changing pad on top of the dresser. So, Ry added a few sides to the top of the dresser. I think he did a great job!
  

• I've been busily working on a quilt for Baby Harrison. I've been shy about mentioning it or showing any part of it because it's my first really big sewing project and my first ever quilt. I'm hoping it turns out ok, but the more I put it together the more I like it! I'll show the final product when it's all done. I'm really enjoying working on it.
• I went in this week to do a 3 hour (for those who know what this is) glucose test. My doctor was concerned that I may have gestational diabetes, so I had to go take this 3 hour test, which is not fun! I passed with flying colors, so thankfully I'm not dealing with the diabetes!
• Our baby is supposedly about as tall as he'll get (approximately 20 inches) and is weighing in at about 5 1/2 lbs. Perhaps when I go to the doctor this Monday for an internal exam she'll be able to give me a better idea if this is accurate or not for our little man.
• Ryan and I just had our third of three child birth classes last night. We're really glad we took the class! For the most part I felt like it was information I had read about or heard before, but I definitely did learn a few things I wouldn't have been aware of had I not taken the class. And Ryan, for sure, is now much more educated on the whole thing (which I'm happy about). It was also nice to get a tour of the hospital as part of the class.
• My friend from the ward and sisters who live here in the NW are throwing me a baby shower on Saturday which I'm very excited about!
• I'm feeling many Braxton Hicks contractions lately. My hips are aching quite a bit too!
  
• I mentioned before that we got our car seat and stroller! I asked Ryan to pose below to show off how excited we are to use it.
  

In Other News...

• Ryan is working long hard days at work! He has just been given a handful of new responsibilities which has made his day extra busy!
• My sisters who are helping with the shower are coming to stay with us this weekend! We're really looking forward to this! Keri and her family will come up Friday night and be here for the shower on Saturday. Liz and her family will come up Saturday morning for the shower and stay Saturday and Sunday night!
  
• Ryan and Keri will be running in a 10k on base Saturday morning! Ryan has been doing a good job of keeping up with his running to prepare for this.
• We're looking forward to Thanksgiving down in Portland in ONE week! Can't believe Thanksgiving is already here (bonus: one of mine and Liz's best friends, Amber, will be in Portland for Thanksgiving! We're excited to see her!)
• We have definitely hit our rainy Winter season!! Thankfully this morning we had a beautiful partly cloudy morning! It was really beautiful! It has rained every day for who knows how long....a week? For a couple days it literally never stopped raining, hard raining!
• My umbrella is my new best friend. However, I'm realizing I totally look like the "new kid" around here. People don't really use umbrellas! A lot of people just head out and take the rain, others have a good rain jacket with the hood up! I'm looking forward to getting a good rain jacket once my belly is out of the way!
• We did a little clothes shopping for Ryan (It probably sounds silly to post about this, but trust me, it kind of is a big deal. Ryan doesn't really shop for clothes). When we walked in to Target last weekend, for a few non-clothes items, Ryan pointed out a pair of jeans he liked so I quickly grabbed them and started showing him a few shirts that would look nice with them. Pretty soon he walking out of the dressing room with a few new clothes!

That's all! Other than these things we're just up to our normal daily things! Hope you're doing well!

at the salon....

yesterday at work i overheard a short conversation between a stylist and the little boy whose hair she was cutting. it was something like this....

stylist: so do you have a girlfriend?
boy: no......but i have a grandpa!!


i thought it was so cute!

6 weeks to go!

Today I am 34 weeks along! Holy cow! Suddenly our time before our little one arrives feels very short! This week our car seat and stroller got here! Reality hits as all this baby stuff begins to arrive! I still have a long list of things I want to get done before he comes. We're getting VERY excited to meet him!

What a fun surprise to come home to after being in Portland for a couple days!!

Starbucks' Caramel Apple Spice

Caramel Apple Spice

"Freshly steamed, 100% pressed apple juice is complemented with cinnamon syrup, whipped cream and our proprietary buttery, caramel sauce drizzle, creating a delicious balance between sweetness and tartness."

DEFINITELY worth your money! I would suggest trying it.

Trip to Utah

Ryan and I have been looking forward to our trip to Utah for a long time! We arrived Sunday evening to have dinner with the Harrisons. A highlight of our trip was meeting David's fiance, Jen, that night. Congratulations! We were glad to get as many Harrisons together as we could for dinner that night. Grandma Moore was even in town, which was a fun bonus for us!

The original purpose of our trip was for Ryan to go hunting with his dad and brother. Ryan loved his hunting trip and only wishes he would've had more time to be there.
While Ryan went hunting I hung out! On Monday I went to Provo to run some errands and visit Liz and the boys. We had lunch on campus and of course stopped by the candy store. Liz (my twin, Liz) and I used to stop by the candy store every day when we were in college.
Monday night we hung out with our good friends, The Shatzers and Rasumussens. Oh, how we miss them!! We had fun carving pumpkins and enjoyed some yummy dessert! Here are Ryan, Ben, and Ryan carving away!
The whole gang! Ryan and Meredith have added an addition to this group! It was so fun meeting Will! Of course, Ryan and I are expecting a baby boy in December and Ben and Ashely are expecting a baby boy in April! So fun!

On Tuesday I went to the school where I taught to visit for lunch. I loved being back there! It was fun to see my co-workers and run into some of my students. Ryan wasn't going to be able to see my dad because of he was only in Utah for a short time (hunting the whole time), so my dad came down to Provo on Tuesday night and we had a Christensen family dinner (minus my mom who was still in California and Mike who had a last minute dinner appointment for MBA school). Here is Ryan reading with Reid.
Yummy dinner! After dinner we watched Adam in his basketball game.
Ryan left to go home on Wednesday, so I headed up to my parents for the rest of my time in Utah. It was really fun to hang out with my parents! I miss them! On Thursday Liz and the boys came up to hang out! We went to Gardner Villiage to see all the witches. They slept over in Bountiful with us that night.


Friday was a fun day of my mom and I running a bunch of errands. Probably doesn't sound too exciting, but it actually was. It was just fun hanging out with her!

Saturday my mom and Liz (with the help of the Harrisons) threw me a baby shower in Springville. It was so much fun! The only bad part about a party for me is that I only got to visit with my guests for short spurts. I would've loved to sit and hang out with each of them the entire length of the shower, but it just doesn't work like that. I was so thankful for everyone who came and for those who helped throw it! It meant a lot to me and was a lot of fun! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with everyone who was there, but here are a few.
Liz, me, Mom
Amy, Ruth Ann, me, Wendy, Jen, Jodi
Cherry Creek Gang: Teresa, Kristi, Kim, Marnie, me, Jamie
Holly
Look at this adorable sign Amy/Debra put together (goes along with the shower invitation which was so cute).

Saturday night I went to the BYU football game with Holly. Sad game, but fun company!


Ryan and I loved being in Utah! It was hard to leave! But, we're home now, back in the swing of things here. I've had in mind for a long time that when we got back from Utah it would be crunch time as far as getting ready for the baby to come! So, here we go!!

Happy Halloween from Baby Harrison

I copied Amy from last year and dressed Baby Harrison up as a jack-o-lantern today to go to work. I thought it was kind of fun!

Here is the profile shot at 32 weeks! Am I really ready to be a mom?! It seems awfully close and a little intimidating!

Happy Halloween!!
Ryan and I did attend our ward's trunk or treat, but other than that, we're having a pretty uneventful halloween night at home. But you know what, I kinda like it like that. After a long day at work it's nice to just be at home with Ry.

home sweet home

ryan and i are very excited to be going home soon. as i've been thinking about being with our families i've thought about some of those "little things" that just make home feel like home. here are some things that help me know i'm home and that i'm very much looking forward to....

christensen home:

• halloween is right around the corner which means you know there will be dishes of candy in every room! this goes for any holiday in mom's house!
• the guest room. i'm assuming this is where we'll be staying. when mom and dad moved to utah i spent a lot of time with them in their home and mostly stayed in their guest room, right across the hall from them. i LOVE that room at night. it has a very tall ceiling with a very tall window. the very top of the window lets the moonlight into the room just perfectly! i remember even making mom and dad come in to the room with me one night, with the lights off, just to experience the beauty of it. :)
• the view! ah...if you've been there you know what i mean! i especially love it at night. right when you walk in their door they have huge windows that overlook the valley. and, of course, visits on the porch with the sam view.
  
• peach fresca:) we NEVER grew up with soda in the house, but for some reason my mom seems to stock rootbeer and fresca at her house now. with my recent obsession of peach fresca (and restraining myself from buying it these days because i know it's really not great for me) i'm looking forward to more than one.
• just being with mom and dad. i've said this before, but i cherished the one on one time i had with mom and dad in the past few years and i look forward to some more of it.
• chit chats....maybe some of you know what i mean, but isn't there something about being home and just visiting with mom and dad? they have a great way of just talking about the things of life....some deep, some important, some silly. you know? i can picture us in the second floor family room visiting.
  
• playing games. i guarantee there will be at least a couple rounds of take two and other games.
  

harrison home:

• the wood stove that is constantly on during the cold months. i'm not sure if the harrisons have it burning yet, but i hope so:)
• i'm sure ruth ann has no idea i relate this to being in her home, but she always has dove soap in the shower and i LOVE it!!
  
• rice. ha ha...isn't this funny? but i love when we have rice at the harrisons. i don't think i've ever even asked....maybe it's brown rice and i'm not used to it? is it a certain brand? i don't know, but i do know, i love their rice.
• the wii. ryan and i don't have video games, and in fact, we're not fans of most, but we do love to play a little wii when we go home (especially when wendy joins us:) )
• the guest room. it's true, i love staying in their guest room too. they have a little lamp on the dresser next to the bed and i love turning it on and the main light off while we get ready for bed. then, when we come in to bed, it's so cozy with just that little lamp on.
• family gatherings (we're really going to miss the leishmans this time).
• mom and dad h. in the family room.....they have their big body pillow on the floor, with both their head at it. ruth ann is reading/playing sudoku/something with her hands, dennis is looking through the newspaper or watching the news/movie. i love it! they love to just be together!
  

we're really looking forward to our time in utah. ryan has been checking his hunting gear list over and over, making sure he has everything he needs, and gathered it all together last night. i love when he gets so excited about his hunting trips with his dad and brother. he's been working very hard and is excited to have a little down time!

what are some things that help you know you're home?

So Tender

Yesterday I worked all day and saw the cutest thing! I wanted to post about it because I thought it was so tender!

So, a couple pieces of background information...
#1 Apparently every year around this time a local high school puts on a "Daddy Daughter Dance". It's kind of like a mini prom for little girls and their dads. Many of the girls get all dressed up, get their hair done, some of them go to dinner with their dads, and then they head to the dance. It seems very cute.
#2 At the salon I work at they do braiding classes. There are some really cool braids they do so they invite parents in to learn them.

So, this big tough Dad comes in with his two daughters yesterday after making a very last minute appointment (in a very busy day for the salon) for them to get their hair done for the Daddy Daughter Dance. I obviously don't know his background, but I think it's apparent that he's a single dad. He gets his girls all set up with their stylist and comes back to the desk to ask me a question. He has his video camera in hand and says something like, "So, I was one of those dads who went to the braiding class a few months ago, but I totally forgot how to do them! I was wondering if I would be able to video tape someone doing the heart braid or if I can even pay someone to have a private lesson so I can really remember how to do the heart braid."

For some reason it melted my heart that this big tough dad was trying so hard and doing such a good job at being a good dad to these little girls. I could just picture him at home, studying these braids and practicing them in his girls' hair. I thought it was So Tender.

Corn Maze

We went to a corn maze last night with some of our friends. It was a lot of fun! Here is the group, minus me, the photographer.
Heading over the bridge. The Mortenson's got cut out of this one on accident.


We're a little lost at this point, trying to figure out which way to go.

Us!!

Sunday Walk

Ryan's Birthday

We celebrated Ryan's birthday a few weekends ago and had a really fun time! We wanted to hang out with family so decided to head down to Portland since there was a BYU game the night of his birthday and they got the game and we didn't. So, we went to Portland Friday evening to spend the night.

Ryan really isn't picky about things. For example he had no preference as to what his birthday dinner or cake was, but the one thing he DID request was a really good breakfast. So, he got up and went for a run while Liz and I prepare a big breakfast, including sausage, Ryan's favorite. (breakfast pictured above)

I really wanted to plan a hike but my back isn't really allowing for those kinds of things these days, so we opted for a nice nature walk instead. It really was fun and beautiful. Here is the gang (minus me) on our walk:

Liz and I stopped at the park with the boys while Ryan and Travis walked back to get the cars. I love hanging out with this little guy...Calvin and I chased each other around the playground for a little bit.
And Calvin loves his mamma!! Liz is such a great boys' mom!!
Then we headed back to Liz's place where the Nash family met us for birthday lunch! Here is the kids table:
And the adult table:
Poor Miles was cast to the floor because we didn't have enough chairs. Nobody was paying attention to him so he just fell asleep instead.
Then we opened presents and had cake and ice cream. We're singing to Ryan in this picture. Not sure if you can really tell, but we're all pointing to him so that it was clear whose birthday it was. Calvin is VERY excited about his birthday coming up in November. When we'd ask him whose birthday it was he'd say, "Ryan...and Calvin!" So, when we sang to him we all pointed so he wouldn't be sad that he didn't get to open presents. Even Calvin had fun pointing at Ryan!
This isn't a great picture, but I liked my belly profile:)
Yummy cake!

Here is Ryan sporting some of his new birthday toys!! He got binoculars (especially for his hunting trip coming up), really cool binocular straps that you can see pictured below (you wouldn't think about wanting cool binocular straps would you?! But trust me, apparently they really are great! They keep the strap from rubbing on your neck the whole day), and a rain jacket which he definitely needed for working outdoors in the NW (not pictured because it's already at work).